Social media, particularly the picture based platform Instagram, has come under increasing scrutiny for promoting unrealistic body image. But not everyone can be tarred with the same brush – and some bloggers send out a very positive message.

Sinead’s Curvy Style is one such blog. Her real name is in fact Sinead O’Brien, but she says no one knows her by this anymore. The Limerick lady promotes dressing for your body shape and size – whatever that be – and says that although a lot of pressure comes with social media, she is confident in herself as is.

Sinead at the Strand Hotel, Limerick. She is wearing a long maxi dress from V By Very at Littlewoods Ireland.

“I would be confident, but like anyone I have ups and downs. Nobody is perfect. It’s hard: there’s a pressure with social media, there are airbrushing apps and this, that and the other. I could never go near anything like that, because I would be devoured,” laughs Sinead honestly.

“There was an issue recently where bloggers were reshaping their bodies, and it just gives out the wrong message. I love a good filter, but I would never reshape anything. I find that’s a confidence in itself: that I can just show my body as it is.”

Super style

As a teenager, Sinead maintains that she was not stylish at all and a total Tomboy, more interested in mucking and riding out horses than anything else. It was her glamorous mother, in fact, who got her interested in fashion.

“As I grew up I was looking at her clothes, and I eventually developed a nicer style because of her. When you get older, you kind of get to know yourself a bit more anyway. Then of course you meet boys, it all goes out the window and you start putting makeup on,” the 32-year-old chuckles lightly.

Sinead is strikingly bubbly and full of laughter while taking pictures at the Strand Hotel in Limerick. In 2012, she started plus-size modelling and, with her fashion in focus, it didn’t take people long to pick up on her style prowess. Regularly when she told people that she was a size 16 to 18 they would be shocked, not because there’s anything wrong with that, but due to the fact that she looked a lot smaller.

I would be confident, but like anyone I have ups and downs. Nobody is perfect. It’s hard: there’s a pressure with social media

“It’s because I know how to dress for my shape and I thought that maybe I could help other girls hide their lumps, bumps and bits they’re paranoid about. That’s why I ended up starting the blog,” explains Sinead.

In the beginning, Sinead’s Curvy Style was just a blog. But with the rise of Snapchat and Instagram, the brand grew and grew. Originally, Sinead just posted pictures of clothes she liked – and it wasn’t until people saw the clothes actually on her that they began to really take notice.

“I think the blog was up and running for maybe six months. My family and friends would be the only ones liking the pictures. One day I put up a picture of a jumpsuit I was wearing from New Look, and it just got reaction across the board,” recalls the blogger.

“Like anything else, it just started to pick up from there. People started to follow me and then I knew what they wanted to see. I started showing myself wearing the clothes more, whereas in the beginning I would post cut-outs from magazines or links to where they could buy things online.”

Singing

After some time, Sinead noticed that her fashion advice had attracted women of all sizes. Her Instagram alone now boasts nearly 30,000 followers. As her profile grew, she began to put out more lifestyle-type content, and people became interested in the other feathers in her cap, one of which is singing.

Sinead is a trained soprano and sings Stand Up and Fight in front of nearly 26,000 people in Thomond Park for Munster rugby matches. She is also a wedding singer (booked out until 2020!) and worked as a singer in Bunratty Castle up to 2015, when she decided to leave and pursue Sinead’s Curvy Style and singing independently full-time.

Sinead at the Strand Hotel, Limerick. She is wearing a skirt from Tesco F&F, and a shirt by Simply Be Ireland.

Although some felt it was risky, this move paid off. The blogger began to run fashion and beauty workshops, which are now very successful, selling out within a day, and the Sinead’s Curvy Style brand has gone from strength-to-strength.

There are many facets to Sinead’s Curvy Style – blogging, styling, modelling, singing, running workshops – and with all that on the go, we ask Sinead what’s next in the pipeline.

Ambitious as always, Sinead is hoping to have her own clothing line out in the near future. Watch this space.

Sinead’s top style tips

  • “Don’t ever go with trends. Go with what suits you. When you find that, you’re laughing. Every shape is different, it depends on what your problem area is. So ask: ‘What do I want to disguise and just smooth out?’ Spanks are my best friend. They’re every girl’s best friend.

  • “The first thing is to start with the right underwear. When you have the right underwear, that’s going to be the canvas for your outfit. My problem area in particular would be my lower tummy, so I would get the right shapewear for that. Then you look at the right style clothes; obviously depending on the occasion, but a skater dress can be nice: it doesn’t really hug your tummy.

  • “You just have to look for something that’s going to fit you in the right places and not be too small. I think girls have this fear of, ‘Oh God, there’s no way I’m a size 20’ and they’ll dress then as a size 14, which will make them look 10 times bigger. Sizes also depend on the shop you are in. There are so many different factors, so don’t be afraid to go up a size.”

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